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Graphic Designers

SOC 27-1024.00Job Zone 4 · Considerable Preparation

Design or create graphics to meet specific commercial or promotional needs, such as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a variety of mediums to achieve artistic or decorative effects.

Context coveredIn-house brand teams, agencies, publishing, and freelance practice across print, digital, brand identity, and packaging; junior designer through art director through design lead.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) — produce assets to brief under a senior designer's review.
  2. Brand-style guides — apply consistently across asset production for routine projects.
  3. File-prep for print and digital deliverables — execute correctly per output specifications.
  4. Iteration and revision rounds — incorporate feedback efficiently within a project timeline.
  5. Stock-image sourcing and rights tracking — perform per brand and legal standards.
  6. Typography fundamentals (kerning, leading, hierarchy) — apply correctly on routine layout work.
  7. Project files and version control — maintain to team conventions for handoff and archival.
  8. Production-art prep (color, bleed, trim, packaging dielines) — produce reliably for routine print work.
  9. Time tracking and project hours — log accurately to brief, design, revisions, and production phases.
  10. Design-review presentations — present own work clearly in junior critique sessions.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Concept development from creative brief — produce 3–5 directions for review on routine projects.
  2. Brand-system applications across multiple touchpoints — execute consistently in a defined system.
  3. Multi-channel asset packages (web, social, email, print) — deliver as a cohesive system.
  4. Client and stakeholder revisions — manage diplomatically and translate vague feedback into specific changes.
  5. Photo art-direction and retouching — direct or execute to a senior's vision on shoot days.
  6. Layout systems and grids — design and apply across publication-scale projects.
  7. Junior designers and interns — mentor on technical and conceptual fundamentals.
  8. Project timelines and dependencies — plan and meet on a personally owned project.
  9. Cross-functional review with copy, account, and production — collaborate substantively in meetings.
  10. New software and platform features — learn and incorporate from Creative Cloud releases.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Brand-identity systems from scratch — design and document for clients or in-house brands.
  2. Multi-month project ownership — manage end-to-end from brief through final-art delivery.
  3. Creative leadership in client meetings — present and defend concepts with stakeholders.
  4. Junior and mid-level designers — mentor across the team on craft and process.
  5. Award-quality work — produce on selected projects across the year.
  6. Cross-discipline collaboration (UX, copywriting, motion, illustration) — partner substantively.
  7. Production oversight across complex deliverables — own quality on large packaging or campaign rollouts.
  8. Vendor relationships (printers, photographers, illustrators) — manage on behalf of the team.
  9. Design-system documentation — author for organization-wide use.
  10. Internal critique culture — set the bar through senior-level participation and feedback.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Creative direction across a brand or agency portfolio — set and uphold across multi-quarter cycles.
  2. Hiring, leveling, and team development — own the design-talent pipeline at organization scale.
  3. Major brand launches and re-brands — lead end-to-end with executive stakeholders.
  4. Industry presence and thought leadership — speak, write, and represent the practice externally.
  5. Strategic creative planning multi-quarter — align with marketing, product, and business strategy.
  6. Design-budget and capacity planning — own with the head of marketing or agency lead.
  7. Design-system governance at scale — set standards across multi-team or multi-brand organizations.
  8. Senior designer mentorship and career development — sponsor across the design organization.
  9. Cross-functional executive partnerships (product, engineering, marketing) — represent the design point of view.
  10. Creative practice and culture — shape through rituals, standards, and aesthetic direction across the team.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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O*NET enrichment · skillscrosswalk.com

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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Graphic Designer · Ad Designer (Advertising Designer) · Ad Layout Worker (Advertising Layout Worker) · Apparel Graphic Designer · Artist · Brand Designer · Catalogue Illustrator · Commercial Artist · Concept Artist · Creative Designer · Design Consultant · Designer
RAPIDS apprenticeships
0247 · Graphic Designer
O*NET skills
Active ListeningSpeakingWritingCritical ThinkingActive LearningComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingTime ManagementSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationReading ComprehensionNegotiationService OrientationPersuasionMonitoring
Knowledge domains
DesignFine ArtsComputers and ElectronicsCommunications and MediaEnglish LanguageSales and MarketingCustomer and Personal ServiceProduction and ProcessingAdministration and Management
Abilities
OriginalityNear VisionFluency of IdeasWritten ComprehensionOral ComprehensionOral ExpressionWritten ExpressionDeductive ReasoningSpeech RecognitionSpeech Clarity
Work styles
InnovationAttention to DetailDependabilityAchievement OrientationAdaptabilityIntellectual Curiosity
Technology
Document management softwareDevelopment environment softwareVideo creation and editing softwareWeb platform development softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareDesktop publishing softwareWeb page creation and editing softwarePresentation softwareOperating system softwareComputer aided design CAD software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
  2. Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
  3. Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
  4. Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.
  5. Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
  6. Use computer software to generate new images.
  7. Prepare digital files for printing.
  8. Confer with clients to discuss and determine layout design.
CIP education codes
11.080111.080350.010250.040150.040250.040450.0409

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.